12 Life Stages Dictionary
The 12 Life Stages name, after the course of a human life, which phase of strength the Day Master is in on each branch. A Day Master and a branch together set the stage.
The twelve life stages (Sibi Unseong, 十二運星) trace how your Day Master's energy is born, grows, declines, and takes shape again as it passes through the twelve earthly branches, from Birth to Nurture.
Each stage is determined by a Day Master and an earthly branch. Assign one to the branch of each of your four pillars to see what phase your energy is in at that position.
How it is set
| My Day Master | Ja (子) | Chuk (丑) | In (寅) | Myo (卯) | Jin (辰) | Sa (巳) | O (午) | Mi (未) | Sin (申) | Yu (酉) | Sul (戌) | Hae (亥) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap (甲) | Bath | Capping | Prosperity | Peak | Decline | Sickness | Death | Tomb | Severance | Conception | Nurture | Birth |
| Eul (乙) | Sickness | Decline | Peak | Prosperity | Capping | Bath | Birth | Nurture | Conception | Severance | Tomb | Death |
| Byeong (丙) | Conception | Nurture | Birth | Bath | Capping | Prosperity | Peak | Decline | Sickness | Death | Tomb | Severance |
| Jeong (丁) | Severance | Tomb | Death | Sickness | Decline | Peak | Prosperity | Capping | Bath | Birth | Nurture | Conception |
| Mu (戊) | Conception | Nurture | Birth | Bath | Capping | Prosperity | Peak | Decline | Sickness | Death | Tomb | Severance |
| Gi (己) | Severance | Tomb | Death | Sickness | Decline | Peak | Prosperity | Capping | Bath | Birth | Nurture | Conception |
| Gyeong (庚) | Death | Tomb | Severance | Conception | Nurture | Birth | Bath | Capping | Prosperity | Peak | Decline | Sickness |
| Sin (辛) | Birth | Nurture | Conception | Severance | Tomb | Death | Sickness | Decline | Peak | Prosperity | Capping | Bath |
| Im (壬) | Peak | Decline | Sickness | Death | Tomb | Severance | Conception | Nurture | Birth | Bath | Capping | Prosperity |
| Gye (癸) | Prosperity | Capping | Bath | Birth | Nurture | Conception | Severance | Tomb | Death | Sickness | Decline | Peak |
Yang stems move forward; yin stems move backward. These are phases, not rankings.
Traits
The twelve stages mirror a human life — Birth (being born), Bath (washing a newborn), Capping (coming of age and putting on an adult's cap), Prosperity (gaining an official post), Peak (reaching full strength), Decline (energy beginning to fade), Sickness (falling ill), Death (dying), Tomb (entering the grave), Severance (being cut off), Conception (being conceived), and Nurture (growing in the womb). Energy cut off at Severance passes through Conception and Nurture before returning to Birth.
You can find your stages with a single table. Yang stems (Gap·Byeong·Mu·Gyeong·Im) move forward through the branches, while yin stems (Eul·Jeong·Gi·Sin·Gye) move backward. For example, Gap Wood reaches Birth at Hae (亥) and Peak at Myo (卯), while Eul Wood reaches Birth at O (午) and Peak at In (寅). Seowoon uses the shared Fire–Earth method, which assigns Mu Earth the same stages as Byeong Fire, and Gi Earth the same stages as Jeong Fire.
The 12 Life Stages describe phases, not grades of strength. Peak is not always good, and Death·Severance are not always bad. They show whether energy is reaching outward or gathering inward. The stage at your day branch (partner seat) or month branch (social sphere) helps describe the character of that part of life.
Some schools use the corresponding yang stem's table for yin stems instead of reversing the sequence. That is why services may show different life stages for the same chart when the Day Master is a yin stem.
A common misconception
People often say, “Death (Sa, 死)·Tomb (Myo, 墓)·Severance (Jeol, 絶) in the 12 Life Stages are unlucky”. The names sound unsettling, but they are generally read as phases of focus·consolidation·transition. Death suggests deep concentration on one thing, Tomb suggests gathering and storing, and Severance suggests making a clean break and starting again.
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12 Life Stages12
- BirthBirth (jangsaeng, 長生) is the first of the twelve life stages. It marks the phase when the Day Master's energy is newly born and begins to grow in a particular earthly branch.
- BathBath (Mogyok, 沐浴) is the 2nd of the 12 life stages. Like a newborn's first bath, it represents energy emerging into the world and meeting wind and water for the first time.
- CappingCapping (Gwandae, 冠帶) is the 3rd of the 12 life stages. It represents young adulthood, when a person puts on an adult's hat (冠) and sash (帶) and steps into the world.
- ProsperityProsperity (Geonnok, 建祿) is the fourth of the 12 life stages, representing established adulthood, when you build your place (建) in society and receive a salary (祿).
- PeakPeak (Jewang, 帝旺) is the fifth of the 12 life stages, when the Day Master's energy reaches its greatest strength, like a ruler ascending the throne.
- DeclineDecline (Soe, 衰) is the sixth of the 12 life stages, representing later adulthood, when energy gradually begins to settle after the height of Peak.
- SicknessTurning inward (Byeong, 病, Sickness) is the 7th of the 12 life stages. After Decline, energy weakens further, drawing your attention inward rather than toward outside activity.
- DeathMovement coming to rest (Sa, 死, Death) is the 8th of the 12 life stages. Energy grows quiet, pausing outward activity and focusing deeply on one thing.
- TombGathering in and storing away (Myo, 墓, Tomb) is the 9th of the 12 life stages. Energy draws inward as though entering a tomb, then rests in a storehouse (Go, 庫).
- SeveranceA clean break (Jeol, 絕, Severance) is the 10th of the 12 life stages. It describes an empty interval after the previous energy has fully ended, just before new energy begins to form.
- ConceptionConception (Tae, 胎) is the eleventh of the 12 life stages. It represents energy that ended at Severance taking root as new life.
- NurtureNurture (Yang, 養) is the twelfth and final stage of the 12 life stages. It represents newly conceived energy growing in a mother's womb and preparing to enter the world.
Frequently asked questions
Which earthly branches receive a life stage?
Using your Day Master as the reference, a stage is assigned to each of your year·month·day·hour branches. Stages can also be assigned to the branches of ten-year and annual periods to read the energy of those times.
Why do services show different life stages?
Schools differ on whether yin stems run backward and which tables Mu·Gi Earth follow. Seowoon reverses the sequence for yin stems and uses the shared Fire–Earth method.
Does having Peak mean I have a good chart?
Peak is the phase when energy is strongest, so it suggests drive. But in an already strong chart, it can mean excess. It needs to be read alongside the strength of the chart as a whole.